'Fixer Upper' alum Joanna Gaines to release children's book

Fixer Upper alum Joanna Gaines will release her first children's book in the spring.

The 40-year-old television personality shared details about We Are the Gardeners, a book about gardening written with her kids, in an Instagram post Monday ahead of its publication March 26.

"Today's the day! We get to finally share this project the kids and I have been working on," Gaines captioned photos of pages from the book.

"We wrote this children's book together to tell the story of our journey in the garden - a story of trying and failing and trying again and never giving up," she said. "We hope it inspires you and your little ones to get outside, get your hands dirty, and grow something great!"

Gaines said in a news release from publisher Thomas Nelson that her garden has always been a source of inspiration.

"There's something about digging deep into fresh soil or watching new life burst from what was not long ago just a tiny seed that reinforces what a gift life is," the star said. "I think that's part of why my kids have come to love spending time in the garden just as much as I do.

"It can be a great teacher, if we pause long enough to notice all there is to learn. Where every day can be a lesson in hard work, and sometimes even in failure, but where there's also growth worth celebrating," she added.

Gaines co-wrote We Are the Gardeners with her four older children, 13-year-old son Drake, 12-year-old daughter Ella, 9-year-old son Duke and 8-year-old daughter Emmie. The book features watercolor illustrations from Julianna Swaney.

"Joanna's creativity has resulted in a gorgeous and splendid book," Tommy Nelson Children's Books senior vice president Laura Minchew said. "Families will delight in reading the story together, and create happy memories by starting their own gardens."

Gaines is parent to Drake, Ella, Duke, Emmie and 6-month-old son Crew with her husband and former Fixer Upper co-star, Chip Gaines. Crew made his TV debut during an appearance on Today in November.

Macaulay Culkin says friendship with Michael Jackson 'made sense'

The 38-year-old actor defended his relationship with the late singer as a "legitimate" connection during Tuesday's episode of the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast.

Culkin said he had a genuine friendship with Jackson, who died at age 50 in June 2009, despite their 22-year age difference.

"I mean, at the end of the day, it's almost easy to try to say it was 'weird' or whatever, but it wasn't, because it made sense," the star said. "Like, we were legitimate."

"We were friends -- in the most simple kind of [way]," he added. "It's one of my friendships that people question, only because of the fact that he was the most famous person in the world."

Culkin was 10 years old when his starring role in the 1990 movie Home Alone catapulted him to fame. Jackson, who rose to stardom with the Jackson 5 as a child, could relate to Culkin's experience.

"He reached out to me because a lot of things were happening big and fast with me. And yes, I think he identified with that," the actor said of Jackson.

"He was the kind of person who had been through the exact same frickin' thing and wanted to make sure that I wasn't alone in that," he added. "He was hilarious, sweet. People didn't know how funny he [expletive] was."

Culkin testified on Jackson's behalf during the singer's child molestation trial in 2005, calling the accusations against the star "absolutely ridiculous." He remains friends with Jackson's children, including the singer's 20-year-old daughter, Paris Jackson, who recently entered treatment for her emotional health.

LOOSE LIPS:

"I hope she wins [more awards], because people get us confused and I get all the perks. Seriously, they're like 'Here's a gift certificate for Regina King, for $5,000 for Barneys' and I'm just like, 'I'm her!' They're like, 'We love you Ms. King!' I'm like, 'Thank you.'"--Regina Hall, joking about loving that she often gets mistaken for Regina King, in a speech at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards

??? Guess Who ???

Which singer and actress has returned to social media after a three month hiatus?

Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse among top-selling vinyl of 2018

Albums from late singers Michael Jackson and Amy Winehouse were among the top-selling vinyl of 2018.

Nielsen Music said vinyl sales grew 14.6 percent last year, with Jackson, Winehouse and the Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack among the top sellers, according to Billboard.

The Guardians album was the top-selling LP of 2018, with 84,000 copies sold. Jackson's album Thriller took the second spot with 84,000, while Fleetwood Mac's album Rumours came in at No. 3 with 77,000.

Guardians, Thriller and Rumours were followed by Abbey Road by the Beatles, Purple Rain from Prince and The Revolution, The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Legend: The Best of... from Bob Marley and The Wailers, Greatest Hits by Queen, Back to Black from Winehouse and Pray for the Wicked by Panic! at the Disco.

The Beatles also had one of the top-selling vinyl singles of 2018, topping the list with "Yellow Submarine." Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U" took the No. 2 spot.

The Grammys said 2018 marked the 13th consecutive year of growth for vinyl sales. Streaming has led to an overall decline in album-format sales, which were down more than 17 percent to 141 million in 2018.

Netflix renews 'Grace and Frankie' for a sixth season

Netflix has renewed comedy series Grace and Frankie starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin for a sixth season.

The streaming service made the announcement on Twitter Tuesday alongside an image of the show featuring Grace (Fonda) and Frankie (Tomlin) holding hands together while sitting down.

Season five of Grace and Frankie, set to feature television personality RuPaul in a guest role, is set to debut on Netflix on Friday.

Grace and Frankie, which premiered in 2015, follows the title characters whose lives are upended when their husbands reveal they are gay and want to be together.

??? Guess Who ???

Which singer and actress has returned to social media after a three month hiatus?

Selena Gomez has returned to Instagram following a three-month hiatus from social media.

"It's been awhile since you have heard from me, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy new year and to thank you for your love and support," Gomez said on Monday, alongside three black and white photos.

The singer and actress posted a photo of herself with her eyes closed, one where she is holding up a magnifying glass and a dark image of herself laying on a bed.

"Last year was definitely a year of self-reflection, challenges and growth. It's always those challenges which show you who you are and what you are capable of overcoming," she continued. "Trust me, it's not easy, but I am proud of the person I am becoming and look forward to the year ahead. Love you all."

The post has been liked by fans over 6.5 million times and counting.

Gomez's social media return comes after the Disney channel alum was hospitalized twice in October for a low white blood cell count. She suffered from a panic attack during her second hospital stay and sought treatment which she completed in December.